Tried some out after reading this post. I had previously figured they were just hippy gear, but after seeing that some whose opinions I trust are using them I thought I'd give them a shot. I had a set of cheap Cabelas poles that came with a set of snowshoes. After having used them for about 5 hours of showshoeing yesterday, I can say that I am a fan. No mountains over here, but steep hillsides were much more easily traversed and overall exertion seemed lower. Now to get a set with adjustment that is more reliable.
